Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition

AccessFileName

AccessFileName gives authority to the files specified. If a directory is given, authority is given to all files in it and its subdirectories.

AccessFileName filename, filename|direcory and subdirectories ...
Server config, virtual host

Include the following line in httpd.conf:

AccessFileName .myaccess1, myaccess2 ...

Restart Apache (since the AccessFileName has to be read at startup). You might expect that you could limit AccessFileName to .myaccess in some particular directory, but not elsewhere. You can’t — it is global (well, more global than per-directory). Try editing ... /conf/httpd.conf to read:

<Directory /usr/www/APACHE3/site.htaccess/htdocs/salesmen>
AccessFileName .myaccess
</Directory>

Apache complains:

Syntax error on line 2 of /usr/www/APACHE3/conf/srm.conf: AccessFileName not allowed 
here

As we have said, this file is found and parsed on each access, and this takes time. When a client requests access to a file /usr/www/APACHE3/site.htaccess/htdocs/salesmen/index.html, Apache searches for the following:

• /.myaccess

• /usr/.myaccess

• /usr/www/APACHE3/.myaccess

• /usr/www/APACHE3/site.htaccess/.myaccess

• /usr/www/APACHE3/site.htaccess/htdocs/.myaccess

• /usr/www/APACHE3/site.htaccess/htdocs/salesmen/.myaccess

This multiple search also slows business down. You can turn multiple searching off, making a noticeable difference to Apache’s speed, with the following directive:

<Directory />
AllowOverride none
</Directory>

It is important to understand that / means the ...